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Barriers and Traffic barrel are seen on July 21, 2025 in City Heights. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\nChris Dainty is wearing his ever-present Padres hat and a black T-shirt from Kelly\u2019s Olympian, a bar and music club in Portland. He is standing behind the bar at Key and Cleaver, his burger restaurant on the corner of University and Euclid avenues in City Heights. Kelly\u2019s opened in 1902, Key and Cleaver in 2023.<\/p>\n
Dainty is talking about his BBQ bacon burger \u2014 the beef comes from a ranch in Julian, the sauce is his own recipe and the bun is from Bread and Cie. The beers on tap are from San Diego\u2019s breweries.<\/p>\n
After a couple decades of working in bars and restaurants, he and his wife, Jenn Hager, opened their place in 2023 just as a major road construction project started down the block.<\/p>\n
Hospitality, he says, is a tough business. He\u2019s seen really good bars and restaurants close for all kinds of reasons. Most don\u2019t make it to the century mark like the one in Portland. But after opening in April 2023 and getting great reviews, he didn\u2019t expect to have to lay off staff 18 months later.<\/p>\n
Dozens of City Heights small business owners have a similar story about a survival struggle over the last 30 months as the city\u2019s University Avenue Complete Street construction project dragged on over a year past its original deadline. Others expressing frustration include Mick Rossler of Tower Bar, Kathy Taing of the Cambodian-Chinese noodle shop Trieu Chau, Andrew Benavides of Cafeina Cafe and Mazda Mehraz of Dan\u2019s Auto.<\/p>\n
Barriers and Traffic barrel are seen on July 21, 2025 in City Heights. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n
Along the half-mile project\u2019s seven blocks, you\u2019ll also see an ice cream shop, Mexican and Vietnamese bakeries, a laundromat, a Chinese herb store, a pool hall and a barber shop. There was a time, Rossler said, when you could only find coffee at Starbucks. Now you have multiple places to grab Cafe de Olla or a horchata latte.<\/p>\n
The businesses reflect the people and cultures that call the vibrant neighborhood home.<\/p>\n
Sean Elo-Rivera is the city councilmember who represents City Heights. The neighborhood, he noted, needs businesses that care for and are connected to a community where people speak dozens of languages and 70 percent of residents are either Hispanic or Asian. If those businesses close, Elo-Rivera notes, there is no guarantee their replacements will have the same neighborhood connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that these small businesses are oftentimes operating on very thin margins,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd when they are impacted for a long time in a significant way, you are really increasing the odds that (they) won\u2019t make it.\u201d If they do close, he wondered: \u201cWhat will come in its place, especially in this economy?\u201d<\/p>\n
A taste of home might not be around the corner anymore, which would reduce the appeal of City Heights for many residents.<\/p>\n
Although there are many positives about the neighborhood, City Heights has challenges. One convenience store owner boarded up a corner window because vandals kept breaking it. Some streetlights don\u2019t work. People worry about affordable housing and what to do about those who don\u2019t have permanent places to live. Despite those realities, Rossler said, it is improving. He remembers when people didn\u2019t visit, they simply drove through the neighborhood on the way to somewhere else.<\/p>\n
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Mick Rosller, owner of The Tower Bar on July 20, 2025 in City Heights. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n
Dainty, Taing and Mehraz like City Heights because of the affordable rent, authentic people and exposure to lots of passersby \u2013 either by foot or by car.\u00a0 Benavides recently celebrated six years of business ownership in the neighborhood where he grew up. When the street project started, owners like Mahrez decided to hunker down and carry on despite road closures, construction fencing going up in front of their doorways, parking lots closing unexpectedly and jackhammers taking away driveway aprons. All this just two years after the peak of Covid-19. They trusted the city when it said the job would be done on schedule. But they\u2019ve seen neighboring businesses go under as the half-mile street improvement project dragged on.<\/p>\n
Elo-Rivera firmly says the University Avenue project was a major need. There were too many accidents and even deaths involving cars and pedestrians.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was one of the most dangerous and deadliest stretches of road in San Diego County. \u2026 University Avenue is significantly safer as a result of the work that\u2019s being done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The work smoothed traffic flow by eliminating left turn lanes, reducing travel lanes from two to one in each direction, removing three lights and replacing them with roundabouts at Highland, Chamoune and Menlo avenues. Pedestrians can now cross University Avenue with the aid of flashing lights at 44th, 45th and 46th streets along with the named avenues. Corner bump-outs prevent turning vehicles from coming too close to sidewalks and pedestrians are asked to use crosswalks that are about 15 feet down side streets instead of crossing at the junction. Below the road surface, crews worked to improve storm water drainage.<\/p>\n
The job started in early 2023 and was supposed to take about 16 months. But on July 1, 2025, West Coast General construction trucks still dotted the street, as crews poured concrete and fencing blocked off some sidewalks, pushing pedestrians into the street or forcing them to cross to the other side.<\/p>\n
The $13 million project is nearing its end \u2013 paving, painting and landscaping will come next but will be mostly done at night and be finished by the end of the summer, according to city officials.<\/p>\n
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Cars go around a roundabout on July 21, 2025 on University Ave., in City Heights. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n
Business owners who have suffered a loss of income and put off expansion plans are not holding their breath that the fall will bring relief. After all, a city of San Diego social media post on March 29 touted the project would \u201cwrap up this spring.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the eastbound lanes of University Avenue closed in October 2024, Dainty said his business dropped by 40 percent. When other sections closed and traffic was re-routed, Taing\u2019s customers stopped coming in from Clairemont and Linda Vista. Restaurants that depend on take-out orders said Uber Eats drivers canceled pick-ups because they couldn\u2019t park nearby. Pedestrians could not window shop because construction fences blocked their path. Mahrez had to hang banners saying \u201copen during construction\u201d from the fence that suddenly bordered his parking lot after his entry on University Ave was closed. He says business is still down from 2022.<\/p>\n
All of the business owners interviewed for this story understand construction delays. But in their minds, a reasonable delay would have been a month or two, not an entire year. The city points to an early issue that caused a seven-month setback. \u00a0Construction workers discovered an underground San Diego Gas & Electric vault in the area that the utility would have to relocate. The bunker conflicted with storm drain installation and road improvements.<\/p>\n
Tyler Becker is a spokesperson for the city. In a statement, he wrote that each improvement program in San Diego \u201cis unique, and can have its own set of unforeseen challenges. Our staff and contractors make every attempt to create solutions for these challenges and avoid construction delays as we understand the impact any disruption can have on residents and businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking on background, one person familiar with the work suggested that the vault was just outside of the project\u2019s border, which is why it was not identified in the original plans. However, due to its proximity, SDG&E needed to move the vault.<\/p>\n
While the power company moved the vault, construction stopped.<\/p>\n
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Traffic barrels are seen on University Ave., on July 21, 2025 in City Heights. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n
Nearly every person interviewed for this story wanted to know why West Coast General, which has been awarded upwards of $65 million in city contracts since 2015, was unable to pivot and work on a different part of the project while the electrical vault was moved. Becker said the city declines requests to make contractors available to discuss projects with the media. Emails and phone calls to West Coast General were not returned.<\/p>\n
Reza Akhavian is an Associate Professor at San Diego State in the department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. He discussed current best practices , noting he was not specifically talking about the University Avenue project.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s crucial to map and coordinate with utility companies in advance,\u201d Akhavian said. He also highlighted the need to work in segments and emphasized communication with stakeholders.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is not merely to inform, but to build trust, manage expectations, and maintain a sense of partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elo-Rivera said he hasn\u2019t been offered a good explanation by the city or by West Coast General as to why there wasn\u2019t a pivot while SDG&E did its work.<\/p>\n
The councilmember has specific concerns about the contractor \u2013 noting many of his constituents complained that barrels, fencing and construction materials stayed in place well after work was finished \u2013 and he thinks the city needs to be more demanding of construction firms and insist work be completed on time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a huge problem with people who are profiting off the city, doing work in neighborhoods that have often been disrespected and underappreciated, and like, leaving them in a really disrespectful way. And right now \u2026 I couldn\u2019t tell you what the consequences are in any meaningful way. And that\u2019s a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Mazda Mehraz, owner of Dan\u2019s Auto on July 21, 2025 in City Heights. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n
At this point, he said, the project \u201cjust has to get done \u2026 and the community needs to be supported until it\u2019s done, and there needs to be accountability for everything that went wrong in not getting it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Becker said all contractors are evaluated by a city engineer as their work progresses. Upon completion, the primary contractor receives a final performance evaluation. Contractors who fail to live up to the city\u2019s standards can be debarred. At this point, Becker added, no decisions have been made about West Coast General\u2019s participation in future projects.<\/p>\n
One group that is supporting the business owners is the City Heights Community Development Corporation, which on July 14 started delivering $3,000 checks to business owners who could provide tax statements showing they suffered a loss in the last two years compared to 2022. Sylvia Ramirez is the organization\u2019s Director of Economic Development. She explained that the CDC raised about $90,000 which will be distributed among about 30 businesses.<\/p>\n
Tom Bui is the CDC\u2019s economic development program manager. He dropped off checks on July 14, calling them \u201ca band-aid on a bullet wound.\u201d<\/p>\n
Business owners say they hope the project works as intended. It will take some time to find out if it was worth the pain. Right now, the community is in the midst of a learning curve \u2013 drivers are learning the roundabouts and cars have been seen driving over the median. Not all pedestrians enjoy walking a few extra steps to the new crosswalks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll be nice when it\u2019s done, but it\u2019s just taking a long time,\u201d Rossler said. Taing\u2019s customers tell her they are happy to return now that major construction is finished. But she wondered if it was necessary in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is like a regular street,\u201d she said. \u201cI think the [roundabouts] would fit better near a park or close to the beach where the tourists are located.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dainty had to lay off three employees when business dried up last October. He\u2019s now working five-day weeks instead of six and again seeing regulars and newcomers.<\/p>\n
But he also wondered if the city would have let the project get so far behind in a wealthier part of town. \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure this would have been resolved a long time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dainty is considering opening a second location in Oceanside \u2013 something he had his eye on a year ago but had to delay. And he has an optimistic view of the future in City Heights. When asked what he\u2019d say to someone thinking of starting a business there, he had an easy answer.<\/p>\n